Ex-49er charged in former boyfriend’s beating

By The ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN FRANCISCO – Former San Francisco 49er Kwame Harris has been charged with felony domestic violence and assault charges from an August beating involving a former boyfriend, a prosecutor and defense lawyer said.

Following a pretrial hearing in the case Monday, a San Mateo County judge set a late April trial date for Harris, an offensive tackle who played five seasons with the 49ers and one season with the Oakland Raiders, Assistant District Attorney Al Serrato said.

The charges stem from an altercation outside a Menlo Park restaurant between Harris, 30, and Dimitri Geier, who suffered several facial fractures that required surgery, Serrato said.

Although a handful of former NFL players have come out as gay, none has while still wearing a uniform. Defense lawyer Alin Cintean said Harris, who played for Stanford before he was drafted by the 49ers in 2003 and has gone back to school to finish his undergraduate degree, identifies as gay, but “is not very public about it.”

“He is a very private person. He doesn’t like to talk about his personal life,” he said.

Prosecutors are pursuing the domestic violence charge because the two men used to live together and had an on-again, off-again romantic relationship, Serrato said.

Bears hire assistants: At Lake Forest, the Bears have hired former safety Chris Harris as a defensive quality control coach.

Harris recently retired after eight seasons that included two stints with the Bears (2005-06 and 2010-11). He also played for Carolina, Detroit and Jacksonville, where he appeared in five games last season and worked with new Bears defensive coordinator Mel Tucker. He had 16 interceptions and 13 forced fumbles in his career.

Besides hiring Harris on Monday, the Bears announced they were bringing in former Tampa Bay special teams coordinator Dwayne Stukes as assistant special teams coach and Sean Desai as a defensive quality control coach.

Stukes was on the Buccaneers’ staff from 2006 to 2011, most recently as their special teams coordinator. Desai coached Boston College’s running backs and special teams last season.

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